Kheecha Sandzhiev, About the Bag Chonos Clan

Duration: 8 mins 35 secs

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Description:	Kheecha talks about his genealogy, the composition of the Bag Chonos clan, historical people and the relics of his clan.


Created:	2018-03-15 16:37
Collection:	Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Project (DERBET)
Publisher:	University of Cambridge
Copyright:	University of Cambridge
Language:	xal (Kalmyk; Oirat)


Abstract:	Kheecha: I am from Avgnr grouping (arvn) of the Bag Chonos clan. My ancestors are Tek, Bamba, Zamba, Van’ka, Sandzhi and Aduchi. Aduchi is my father. My son’s name is Sergei and his son is Sanal. The Bag Chonos is an ancient clan, whose founder was brought up by a wolf. In the Bag Chonos clan we have eight arvn groupings: the Kharnud, Sharnud, Avgnr, Khozhilmud, Kelkd Arvn, Gonchkud, Marlakhn and Khadrgs. Question: Could you tell us about the lords (zaisang) of your clan? Kheecha: There was a zaisang named Emba. His two-storey house still stands near the spring. This building was used as a school and then a boarding school. Emba married a Russian girl from Astrakhan gubernia, but they did not have children. One day a big prayer was held in which lamas read prayers so that Emba’s Russian wife left her Kalmyk husband of her own accord. As a result, the Russian woman did not quarrel with anyone and left her husband quietly, taking with her only her black cat. Question: Why did she take a black cat? Kheecha: Maybe the lamas read special prayers to this effect, who knows. Afterwards, the Kalmyk lord was poisoned by Gypsies. Question: Do you know anything about Lora and Maani from the Bag Chonos clan? Kheecha: I myself saw Lora Aduchiev in 1958. In 1934 when the Germans occupied Kalmykia, he opened a temple. He was a learned man. Question: Do you know about Maani? Kheecha: Maani healed me when I had a fever, but I do not remember him. He lived in a place called Tsagan Elsn. Question: Where did the Bag Chonos clan live? Kheecha: The land of this clan is the kolkhoz Balkovskiy, sovkhoz Zapadnyi, Ar Nur (where Anatoliy Kichikov lived), and Shatta. The Bag Chonos is not a populous clan anymore. Question: What does your clan’s stamp look like, the one you stamp the animals with? Kheecha: It looks like a square with a cross in the middle. We put this stamp on horses, cows and camels. Question: What are the olgts (colours) of your clan? Kheecha: Each arvn grouping has its colour. During weddings we in our arvn use red, white and blue ribbons or threads. Question: Who is your deity-protector? Kheecha: White Tara. Question: Do you have old statues of gods? Kheecha: When the Kalmyks were deported to Siberia, an old Russian man called Egor Danilovich Sinarev from the sovkhoz Zapadnyi kept all our statues until we returned from the exile. He was Russian, but spoke Kalmyk. He was also a Communist, an atheist, but kept our statues. He handed them over to Nyudlchi Gil’dzhiev who in his turn gave them to Zhizha Ochirov who passed them on to the Lidzhievs. We received these statues from the Lidzhievs. Question: Do you keep these statues in your clan’s temple now? Kheecha: Pel’dzhi Byurchiev handed them over to the temple. Question: Do you perform rituals to appease the spiritual lords of lands and waters? Kheecha: We performed such rituals near the spring or on the hilltop. After these rituals it rains. Today nobody does it anymore.

Abstract:

Kheecha: I am from Avgnr grouping (arvn) of the Bag Chonos clan. My ancestors are Tek, Bamba, Zamba, Van’ka, Sandzhi and Aduchi. Aduchi is my father. My son’s name is Sergei and his son is Sanal. The Bag Chonos is an ancient clan, whose founder was brought up by a wolf. In the Bag Chonos clan we have eight arvn groupings: the Kharnud, Sharnud, Avgnr, Khozhilmud, Kelkd Arvn, Gonchkud, Marlakhn and Khadrgs.
Question: Could you tell us about the lords (zaisang) of your clan?
Kheecha: There was a zaisang named Emba. His two-storey house still stands near the spring. This building was used as a school and then a boarding school. Emba married a Russian girl from Astrakhan gubernia, but they did not have children. One day a big prayer was held in which lamas read prayers so that Emba’s Russian wife left her Kalmyk husband of her own accord. As a result, the Russian woman did not quarrel with anyone and left her husband quietly, taking with her only her black cat.
Question: Why did she take a black cat?
Kheecha: Maybe the lamas read special prayers to this effect, who knows. Afterwards, the Kalmyk lord was poisoned by Gypsies.
Question: Do you know anything about Lora and Maani from the Bag Chonos clan?
Kheecha: I myself saw Lora Aduchiev in 1958. In 1934 when the Germans occupied Kalmykia, he opened a temple. He was a learned man.
Question: Do you know about Maani?
Kheecha: Maani healed me when I had a fever, but I do not remember him. He lived in a place called Tsagan Elsn.
Question: Where did the Bag Chonos clan live?
Kheecha: The land of this clan is the kolkhoz Balkovskiy, sovkhoz Zapadnyi, Ar Nur (where Anatoliy Kichikov lived), and Shatta. The Bag Chonos is not a populous clan anymore.
Question: What does your clan’s stamp look like, the one you stamp the animals with?
Kheecha: It looks like a square with a cross in the middle. We put this stamp on horses, cows and camels.
Question: What are the olgts (colours) of your clan?
Kheecha: Each arvn grouping has its colour. During weddings we in our arvn use red, white and blue ribbons or threads.
Question: Who is your deity-protector?
Kheecha: White Tara.
Question: Do you have old statues of gods?
Kheecha: When the Kalmyks were deported to Siberia, an old Russian man called Egor Danilovich Sinarev from the sovkhoz Zapadnyi kept all our statues until we returned from the exile. He was Russian, but spoke Kalmyk. He was also a Communist, an atheist, but kept our statues. He handed them over to Nyudlchi Gil’dzhiev who in his turn gave them to Zhizha Ochirov who passed them on to the Lidzhievs. We received these statues from the Lidzhievs.
Question: Do you keep these statues in your clan’s temple now?
Kheecha: Pel’dzhi Byurchiev handed them over to the temple.
Question: Do you perform rituals to appease the spiritual lords of lands and waters?
Kheecha: We performed such rituals near the spring or on the hilltop. After these rituals it rains. Today nobody does it anymore.

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